#circaroadtrip

Design Detour: Leah Bailey

Leah Bailey’s interiors are warm and classic, pulling inspiration from the light and natural elements of Savannah’s squares, parks and marshes, then adding a dash of French country for good measure.

At projects throughout the Lowcountry -- a number of them at Palmetto Bluff, a resort community in Bluffton, South Carolina -- her rooms are an exercise in texture and layers, from the shutters and Roman shades at the windows, to the Irene Mayo landscape paintings on the walls, to the worn Oushak rugs underfoot. Here, every detail is tended to, and you can rest assured that even the pieces seemingly owing to time and place (like aged brass and rough tabby) are part of the artist’s master plan.

RSVP

“The Fat Radish is so fun, and I’d love to catch up with my Design House ladies -- Linn Gresham, Lily Brown, Debbie Basnett and Elizabeth McDonald -- over dinner in one of their banquette nook tables. The best spot in town for a cozy nightcap is the basement bar at The Olde Pink House, and I’d invite Rebecca Matthews, Hannah Lewis and my slipcover magician, Alison Seeger to meet us there. In Savannah, it’s always the more, the merrier!”

TRY THIS

“I’m a blue-and-white girl at heart. For a bedroom, I love Schumacher’s Creeping Fern from Celerie Kemble’s collection, and Schumacher’s Cloud Toile always sets the mood in a powder room or laundry room.”

BRIGHT IDEA

“Many of Savannah’s historic homes have built-in wood shelving, which can feel dark and heavy without the right lighting. I love to use the Boston Functional Single Arm Library Light to draw the eye toward artwork and create an intentional mood.”

SHOP BOSTON FUNCTIONAL SINGLE ARM LIBRARY LIGHT HERE

HOT TIP

“All of the patterned silks in Lily Lewin’s Tulicarpa line are inspired by 15th- and 16th-century paintings on view at the Prado Museum. I can’t wait to use one of her new wallpapers in a project -- the Lowcountry Toile: Moon River pattern is my favorite.”

STOP IN

“I opened my shop in downtown Bluffton last year to share my interpretation of true Lowcountry interiors with a broader audience. I love being able to offer my followers the things I select for my client’s house at many different price points, from a cool old cast stone bowl for $50 to a $500 ginger jar.”